Forel | Information session

Reserve the date of January 18, 2024 for an informative session on Forel, a 28-meter aluminum sailboat equipped with three laboratories. An initiative presented by Institut nordique du Québec and Québec-Océan (this activity is held in French).

Anyone interested in attending is welcome.

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Two ways to take part in the activity.

• For in-person attendance

  Please arrive at 10 a.m. at room 3068, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, Université Laval campus.

• For online participation

  Via Zoom: click here to connect to the information session.

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The vulnerability of the poles to anthropogenic disturbances and climatic pressures is widely recognized. Several factors are affecting these ecosystems, including loss of biodiversity, the arrival of invasive species, changes in ice extent and seasonality, changes in major convection patterns, global warming, pollution, and increased shipping. Most of these changes and their consequences have yet to be fully characterized.

Coastal zones deserve special attention. These environments are changing rapidly, especially as a result of coastal erosion, retreating glaciers, and melting permafrost. These areas are also of great importance to Inuit culture and daily life.

However, their study is limited by the inaccessibility of large research vessels by sea. The Swiss Polar Foundation has therefore decided to provide Swiss and international scientists with a scientific platform to explore these highly sensitive areas.

This platform (FOREL) takes the form of a 28-meter aluminum sailboat. It will enable innovative and responsible research to be carried out in polar and subpolar regions. The vessel has been equipped with three types of laboratories (i.e. dry, wet and clean) and good storage capacity to provide scientists with a workspace adapted to their needs. These spaces will be flexible and modular to accommodate a variety of scientific programs.

Forel has also been equipped with various scientific tools such as a CTD rosette, a ferrybox, and atmospheric sensors for sampling and physicochemical measurements.

The FOREL Heritage Association, in partnership with the Institut nordique du Québec (INQ) and Québec-Océan, is pleased to present this new platform to the Canadian scientific community.

About the Forel Heritage Association

The purpose of the Association will be to carry out various research projects in collaboration with the Swiss and international scientific community, including educational projects. In particular, it will manage, administer, charter and operate the yacht on a non-profit basis.